Folk-Lore of West and Mid-WalesDavies, Jonathan Ceredig
History
Folk-Lore of West and Mid-Wales
Davies, Jonathan Ceredig
Folklore -- Wales; Wales -- Social life and customs
Sometimes we hear of ghosts at sea, and the following account of a
Ghost on board H.M.S. "Asp," which was written by Capt. Alldridge,
R.N., Commander of that vessel, appeared in the "Pembroke County
Guardian," February 16th, 1901.
March 15th, 1867.
My dear Sir,--I herewith readily comply with your request as far
as I am able, respecting the unaccountable "apparition" on board my
ship. Call it ghost or what you will, still I assure you that which I
am going to relate is what really did take place, and much as I was,
and am, a sceptic in ghost stories, I must confess myself completely
at a loss to account by natural causes for that which did actually
occur. Many years having elapsed since I retired from active service
I am unable to recollect all the dates with exactness, but I will
give them as far as I can remember them.
In the year 1850, the "Asp" was given me by the Admiralty as a
surveying vessel. On taking possession of her, the Superintendent
of the Dockyard, where she lay, remarked to me, "Do you know, Sir,
your ship is said to be haunted, and I don't know if you will get any
of the Dockyard men to work on her." I, of course, smiled, and I said
"I don't care for ghosts, and dare say I shall get her all to lights
fast enough."
I engaged the shipwrights to do the necessary repairs to the vessel,
but before they had been working in her a week they came to me in
a body and begged me to give the vessel up as she was haunted and
could never bring anything but ill-luck. However, the vessel was at
length repaired, and arrived in safety in the river Dee, where she
was to commence her labours. After my tea in the evening, I generally
sat in my cabin and either read to myself or had an officer of mine
(who is now master of the 'Magician') to read aloud to me: on such
occasions we used frequently to be interrupted by strange noises,
often such as would be caused by a drunken man or a person staggering
about, which appeared to issue from the after (or ladies') cabin.
The two cabins were only separated from each other by the companion
ladder, the doors faced each other, so that from my cabin I could
see into the after one. There was no communication between either
of them and the other parts of the ship, excepting by the companion
ladder, which no one could ascend or descend without being seen
from my cabin. The evening shortly after our arrival in the Dee,
the officer I mentioned was reading to me in my cabin when all at
once his voice was drowned by a violent and prolonged noise in the
aft cabin. Thinking it must be the steward he called out "Don't make
such a noise, steward," and the noise ceased. When he began to read
again the noise also recommenced. "What are you doing, steward--making
such a--noise for?" he cried out, and taking the candle rushes into
the next cabin. But he came back quicker than he went, saying there
was nobody there.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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